Simi Valley doesn't go down without a fight to top seed in Division 10 quarterfinal

Trailing by 25 points with 36 seconds remaining on the clock, Simi Valley High's offensive unit ran onto the field at Bob Jacob Stadium. Quarterback Jack Applegate then took a knee, thus ending the game and the season.

It was the only time the Pioneers had conceded all evening, and only reluctantly.

"Yeah, we wanted to run a few more plays," senior wide receiver Riley Hunt said afterward. "The coaches had told the referees we were going to do that. So we had to go through with it."

Weary, battered, bruised but still battling, the Simi Valley High football team lost to top-seeded Highland, 52-27, in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division 10 playoffs Saturday night at Simi Valley's Bob Jacob Memorial Stadium.

The game wasn't any way near as lopsided as the final score might indicate.

Matched up against a No. 1-seeded opponent that is undefeated and loaded with speed, size and stellar athletes, the Pioneers clawed, scratched and stayed within upset range for much of the contest.

Among the almost-heroes was Applegate, Simi Valley's sophomore quarterback, who threw for 174 yards and two scores and rushed for 87 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown gallop.

He absorbed several hard hits, walked a tad slowly at game's end, but hardly backed off.

"Really, my attitude is that we've always got a chance to win," he said. "I'm going to keep fighting all the way to the end no matter what the scoreboard says. I always think we're going to come back and win. The whole team feels that way.

"That's the kind of team we became this season."

The Pioneers led 7-6 after the first quarter, on Jackson Sterling's 1-yard touchdown run. The deficit was 22-14, just 14 seconds before halftime, on Applegate's 14-yard scoring pass to Carson Gerberick.

Simi Valley nearly pushed to within a single score with 5:44 on the clock in the third period after Hunt pulled in a 14-yard touchdown toss from Applegate. The Pioneers tried to add the 2-point conversion, the pass failed and the deficit was 30-20.

"Can you mention how hard we battled?" coach Jim Benkert said. "We were right there. We had our chances. We just have to learn how to win games like this. I'm couldn't be prouder of my guys, especially through a lot of adversity."

All that, despite one of the most difficult weeks in program history.

Sean Adler, the father of Pioneers senior wide receiver Dylan Adler, was among the 12 victims in the tragic mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night.

Coaches, players and school employees were impacted dramatically by the Woolsey Fire that started near Simi Valley on Thursday and spread destructively southward. Benkert was among the Oak Park residents under evacuation orders, but he still spent much of Friday with a garden hose in hand aiming water at his own home and houses of neighbors.

For good measure, Simi Valley was without several key players who were academic ineligible for postseason.

"We've laid a good foundation for the future," said Benkert, the Pioneers' first-year coach. "But we know there's a lot more work to be done, on and off the field. We've come a long way and we've got to take those next steps. We'll learn lessons and work harder."

Hunt, the senior wide receiver who is also a star hurdler in track and field, was among the senior class who helped spark a program turnaround. Simi Valley finished 8-4 and scored its first playoff victory since 2014 in round one.

"This is the most fun I've ever had playing football, and I've been playing for 10 years," said Hunt. "I feel so good about everything we did as a team this year. We have so much heart, and you saw that tonight. We're never going to give up. We're always going to keep fighting."

Applegate, a 10th-grader, anticipates a strong season in 2019.

"I'm excited," he said. "We improved, I felt I improved so much this season. I know coach (Benkert) yells at me for making mistakes, but he just wants me to get better. I feel like we're on the same page going forward."

In the end, Simi Valley was done in by a talented Highland squad that moves to 12-0 and into the semifinals.

Applegate was 12 of 20 for 174 yards, two touchdown and no interceptions. Sterling Jackson caught three passes for 78 yards, including 66 yards on shovel pass that set up Simi Valley's first touchdown.

Ian Roca caught four passes for 62 yards. David Quadri's interception as he stepped in front of an attempted screen pass led the Simi Valley's second touchdown.